Starting mechanism.



H. T. THOMAS.

STARTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED I AN. II. 1913.

Patented June 22, 1915.

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I @HVEHTOR 'I ILII WImsssn mmv'az m ATTORNEY H. T. THOMAS. STARTING MECHANlSM.

I I APPLICATION HLED JAN. 11. 1913. J

1,144,010. Patented June 22, 1915.

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' wrmassss IHVEHTOR W l BY ATTORNEY H. T. THOMAS. STAR-TING MECHANISM.

APPLICATlON man JAN. n. 1913. 1,144,010. Patented June 22, 191;).

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- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE '1. THOMAS, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO RED MOTOR CAB 00., OF

. LANSING, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

STARTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 22, 1915.

Application filed January 11, 1913. Serial No. 741,408.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE T. THOMAS, a

walls being slotted at their outer ends, fitting into sockets 0, o in the web-ofthe wheel citizen of the United States, residing at 7 and adapted to reciprocate perpendicular Lansing, county of Ingham, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Starting-Mechanism, and

declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact. description of the same, such as Wlll enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanylng' drawings,

which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a starting device for internal combustion engines and consists in the improvements hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a plan view, partly broken away, of a .mechanism embodying my invention, ap-

plied upon an automobile and showmg adjahent parts of the automobile. Fig. 2, 1s

a side elevation of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3,'is an elevation partly "in section on the line 0- 0 Fig. '1, looking from theleft of the plane of section.- Fig. 4,.1s a

detail perspectiveview ofone ofthe parts. Fig-5, is a sectional detail view of'a pawl.

(1,0 are the side pieces of .the chassis ofw an.automobile. i

a, a are the -The parts 0 and d engage by a universal joint of a usual form consisting of jaws g, g

1 upon thefshaft d and laterally extending bf-the shaft 0 (Fig. 2 at the base of the 'jflWSg, 9 (Figs. 4 and 2) is secured a ring 7 in one surface of which lugs on projections formin a T at the end i U pon the shaft d are formed radial slots h, beach of which low tubular cylindrical rods 5), theigesijstanoe.

slots has a vertical and a slanting wall. The

. ring f'is secured in position by a 'key'i extending between the jaws g, g and into slots formed inthe faces of said ring and by bolts fastening the key and ring together.

k is a wormwheel passing around andadapted to turn on a bearing upon the jaws g, g, its web turning with its face adjacentto the face of the ring f. v

m, m, m, are pawls which consists-of hola pin a and acting to press a pawl inward vehicle to start the engine.

stringers, or side pieces, of a subframe upon whichfihechange-speed to the plane of said web. There is a pin passing into the wall of said socket and through the slots in the walls of the pawls m at right angles to the aXis of said pawls, and there is a spring within each of said pawls (Fig. 2), its outer'end bearing upon into engagement with the face of the ring 7. The pawls m are adapted to engage the vertical walls of the slots h, h, to carry the rod 1 (1 with the worm wheel it when said wheel is rotated in the direction to produce a forward movement of the automobile. The shaft zl may, however, turn in that direction independent of the worm wheel k, the pawls w m passing by the slanting faces of the slot h without engaging.

z is an electricmotor adapted to be run by a current'from a storage battery 2'is the shaft of the motor 2. ,f p is a sleeve secured upon the shaft 2 by a feather 3 so as to move longitudinally thereof but to be restrained from relative angular motion. v r is aspring acting. to force the sleeve "7;- outward. I s is a shoulder formed on the shaft 2 and adapted to. limit the inward 'movementof the sleeve p. v

g is a worm formed upon the sleeve 7) and adapted to engage the teeth of the worm wheel is when said sleeve is in its innermost position and to be free from said wheel when said sleeve is in its outermost position.

t, is a pivoted lever engaging the sleeve 72 8 upon the f and adapted to reciprocate the same along the shaft '2.

u, is a connecting rod joining one end of the lever 23 with anbperating le'ver 4 pivoted at o in the'bottomgof the body of the auto mobile. 7

. w, is a pedal by which the operating lever 4 maybe oscillated to actuate the lever t.

m, is a rod jointed to the lever t.

y, y are contact points on the inner end of the rod m. I

5, 6 and 7 are contact pieces with which the points y, y-engage producing the different circuits.-

- 8 indicates .a

storage battery and 9 is a y, y tothe position shown in Fig. 1 in which v The operation ofthe above described device is as follows: In the normal, or i-nop'rtion, contact is first made between'the plates 5 and dand the motor-zis started with a small currentthrough the resistance 9. At this position, the worm g has just begunto engage the worm wheel is .and'the motor a starting into motion' draws the sleeve -72 to its innermost position, as shown 111 Fig.1, continuing the motion of the lever t and, drawing the contact points the full current of the battery 8 is passed through'the motor. The action of the worm Q forces it against the shoulder s and drives the worm wheel k which carries With it the transmission shaft d which starts the engine through the shaft (2. It will be noticed that the worm g may always move easily into engagement with the worm wheel is, its

threads acting like the teeth of a rack to engage the teeth of the wheel is,- the wheel. turning freely in this direction of motion.

What I claim is v 1'. In an engine starter, the combination of a worm wheel having peripheral teeth, said whe'el being connected with the engine so that its rotation in one direction shall set the engine in gular motion relative to,

motion, said wheel being adapted to turn freely in the other'direction, a motor having a shaft, a worm having threads adaptedto engage the teeth of said wheel, said worm being adapted toslide lonbut restrained from an-- said shaft, said gitudinally upon,

worm being adapted to engage said wheel, by turning the latter in the direction of its free rotation, atone end of the travel of said .worm, and to be free from said Wheel at the other end of its travel, and means for Y I reciprocating said worm to cause-,the engagement and disengagement thereo 2. In an engine starter, the combination of a worm wheel having peripheral teeth,

said wheel being connectedwith the engine so that its rotation in one direction shall set the engine in adapted to turn freely in the other direction, a motor havinga' shaft, a worm having threads adapted to engage the teeth of said wheel, said Worm being adapted to slide longitudinally ipon, but restrained from angular motion relative to, said shaft,

said worm being adapted to engage said wheel by turning, the latter in-the direction of its free rotation, at one end of the travel motion, said wheel being of said Worm, and to be free from said wheel at the other endof its travel, and

means for reciprocating said worm to cause the engagement and disengagement thereof, v

and a spring acting to retract said worm.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

HORACE T. THOMAS.

" Witnesses:

Denim) E. BATES, DEAN',M. PARSONS. 

